From the students' desk: Tour de Belgium

"A life time Europe experience in two weeks” - Thabo shares his experience of his recent trip to Belgium


It all started with me mixing up my dates and missing my flight to Belgium on the 30th June 2012. I was stressed and thinking that I would never see Europe or Belgium ever! With prayers, I got a seat on the next flight for the departure on the 1st July 2012. On my arrival at my destination I was welcomed by the beautiful sight of the new, majestic Liege-Guillemins Railway Station. The first week of this trip was for attending and presenting at the 2012 XIV European Congress of Ichthyology hosted by the University of Liege.

My talk entitled: “Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the genera Marcusenius and Petrocephalus (Mormyridae) in southern Africa” was well received by the attendees who were both amazed and encouraged by the diversity of mormyrids we have in southern Africa. This talk opened a lot of discussion around the fish diversity in Africa and drew interest from other people working on different aspects of mormyrids.

Following the success of the conference, the city of Brussels called my name and I spent the last week of my tour in and around Bruxelles andTervuren where I visited the Royal Museum for Central Africa. A visit to the museum makes you will feel like you have travelled the whole of Africa in just 45 minutes, that is how amazing and African the museum is! Of all the landmarks in Brussels, it is perhaps the Grand Place where, like me, you will be drawn into the fusion of beauty of Belgium’s past and present. Not to be outdone is the beautiful St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral. The Chinese Pavilion and the Japanese Tower are perhaps the most unexpected landmarks in Brussels. The Atomium, was above all, the most astonishing structure with an unusual and unforgettable design. I hope to go and visit again with no time constraints. And finally, who can forget about the Belgian chocolates and beers? mmmmm well-made I must add!

Thabo at the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren. 10 July 2012

In front of the conference venue, hanging on the wall is the official conference poster.

At Liege-Guillemins railway station, Liege, 2^nd July 2012.